A poor man once came to Rav Mendel of Riminov, bemoaning his dire poverty. The Rebbe handed him a generous donation. But before the poor man left, he gave him an additional coin. A family member asked him, “Why did the Rebbe give him tzedaka twice?
The Rebbe answered, “The first time I gave him because his crying touched my heart, and I was pained when I heard about his difficult situation. The second time I gave him for the sake of the mitzvah of tzedaka.”
The Rebbe continued, “This is hinted at in the verse, “You shall surely give him;” – “give” is emphasized twice (in loshon hakodesh). You should give the poor man once for your sake - in order that your heart should not be hardened and you should accustom yourself to have compassion on others, and through this Hashem will have compassion on you. The second time, you should give for the sake of the poor man – for the mitzvah of tzedaka.”
(Source: Ukarasa Leshabbos Oneg)
Special thanks to Revach LeNeshama for the story
